Rotary compressor with valve member pivoted to an eccentric piston

ABSTRACT

Air compressor means comprising a housing with a cylindrical chamber area space provided therein, a drive shaft extended axially through the chamber area space, an eccentrically driven member keyed to the shaft, a cylindrical sleeve member journalled on the latter and providing a rotary piston member in combination therewith, closely spaced inlet and outlet ports to said chamber area space, and valve means pivotally connected at one end to the housing side walls and near its other end to the sleeve member between the inlet and outlet ports for separation thereof in the course of rotary piston actuation.

United States Patent 3,849,036 Read Nov. 19, 11974 ROTARY COMPRESSORWITH VALVE 2,094,525 9/1937 MEMBER PIVOTED TO AN ECCENTRTC PISTONInventor: Balfour Read, 625 5th St., Traverse City, Mich. 49684 Filed:Oct. 26, 1972 Appl. No.: 301,110

10.8. C1. 418/62 lint. Cl. F0lc 1/02, F040 l/02, F04c 17/02 Field ofSearch 418/62, 67, 142

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Calling 418/62 PrimaryExaminerJohn J. Vrablik Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Dale Austin Winnie [57]ABSTRACT inlet and outlet ports for separation thereof indie course ofrotary piston actuation.

1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures A ROTARY COMPRESSOR WITH VALVE MEMBER PIVOTEDTO AN ECCENTRIC PISTON BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Although efforts havebeen made, heretofore, to provide a simple low pressure air compressoror blower for use with such engines, most have involved a redesign ofthe engine which has proven overly complicated and expensive.

What is actually needed is a relatively simple and effective blower orlow pressure air compressor that is separate and apart from the engine,but which is sufficiently compact to be mounted on it and which iscapable of being belt driven from the engine. And, which is capable ofsupplying more air either to the carburetor, or directly into thecombustion chamber in a fuel injection system, to eliminate the problemsmentioned and obtain better fuel consumption, which in turn means areduction in air pollution problems.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION This invention relates to a lowpressure air compressor or blower of the rotary piston type which has alower cost of manufacture than any reciprocating piston type blower, orcomparable rotary piston type, a very simple positive lubrication systemof its own, and which provides for a longer duration of the suctionperiod, for better advantage to be taken of the pressure pulsations inthe suction tract and a higher volumentric effeciency to be obtained.

More particularly, a rotary piston member which is cylindrical in formis provided within a receptive housing space and is eccentricallydriven. A fresh air inlet and a compressed air outlet are provided inthe housing wall, relatively close together, and a valve means, underthe direct and positive control of the rotary piston member, is providedto open and close the outlet port in a manner which enables a longerduration of the suction stroke and which includes sealing means whichenables a high volumetric effeciency to be obtained.

The valve means is of the flipper or shoe type and is itself ofrelatively simple construction, easy to assemble in the housing, andwith good sealing characteristics.

The rotary piston member also includes sealing means about its outerperiphery which are self adjusting for dimension variances in the widthof the housing space or due to wear in long and continuous use.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES FIG. I is a centerlinecross-sectional view of the rotary piston compressor or blower of thisinvention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the compressor or blower as seengenerally within the plane of line 2-2 in the first drawing figure.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken through one end of the valvemeans, and showing its connection to the rotary piston member, as seenin the plane of line 3-3 in the second drawing figure.

STRUCTURAL DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT The low pressure rotarypiston air compressor of the present invention is shown in the drawingfigures to include a body housing 10 which is closed at each end by endplates 12 and M.

A chamber space 16 is provided within the body housing, between the twoend plates, and an air intake 18 is provided through a side wall, nearthe top of the housing, and in communication with an intake passageway20 that extends down the outer wall and is formed with the body housingmember.

An air outlet opening 22 is provided through the top of the housing 10,for communication with the engine cylinder ports to be supplied, and. asuitable space 24 is provided therebelow and in open communication withthe chamber space 16 for the: outlet valve closure mechanism, which willbe described later.

A shaft 26 extends through the chamber space 16 and is journalled inbearings 28 and 30 within the end plates 12 and 14. An eccentric 32 iskeyed, as at 34, to the shaft and a cylindrical member 36, ofapproximately the width of the body member 10, is journalled, at 38, onthe eccentric for oscillating movement within the chamber space 16 inthe manner of a rotary piston as will subsequently be more clearlydescribed.

The rotary cylindrical member 36, which rides on the eccentric 32, isslotted, as at 40, to receive a member 42 which is held to it as by capscrews 44 (reference FIG. 3) and is of substantially the same width asthe cylindrical member. In addition, it includes a shaft 46 through itsouter end and whose outer ends serve as pivotal connections with sidelinks 48 and 50 which pivotally connect it to the ends of a shaft 52 ina fitting 54 fastened to the housing side wall.

Between the two members 42 and 54, through which the pivot shafts 46 and52 extend, there is provided a member 56 which is fitted to the outercylindrical surfaces of the two members for maintaining the fixeddistance required between the two pivot axes, together with the sidelinks 48 and 50, and which is itself retained in position by the sidelinks which are connected to the ends of the two pivot shafts 46 and 52.

Member 58, of a non-metalic material and, capable of serving as aclosure member, is fastened to the upper surface of the member 56 and isformed to include a lip 60 that extends therebeyond and wipes against afacing member 62 fastened to the inside of the housing, as by screws 64,just below the air outlet opening 22.

Side wall plates 66 and 68 are fitted to close the sides of the valvespace 24 and to make all surfaces flush relative to the housing sidewalls within the lower cham ber space 16.

As for the cylindrical member 36, which oscillates within the lowerchamber space 16, a bearing ring 70 is fitted to one edge and a likering 72 is received within a receptive groove 74 in the outer edge andbacked by a wire spring member 76 to eliminate any side leakage in therotary compression of air in the course of its oscillitory movement.

The wire spring member 76 will be appreciated as crimped at about threeplaces to contact the inner wall of the receptive groove and exert aslight outward spring pressure to hold the bearing ring 72 against thehousing end wall and accomplish the sealing effect desired.

Balance weights 78 and 80 are keyed, as at 82 and 84, to the outer endsof the drive shaft 26 to counter balance the eccentric and effect of thevalve operating mechanism it carried, and an end fitting 86 is providedon one end of the shaft and a drive pulley 88 (for a toothed belt) isprovided on the other end.

Positive lubrication may be provided all rubbing surfaces by means ofvarious passageways, commencing with the connection 90 in the bottomwall of the housing, and in communication with a suitable engine or likepressurized lubricating system.

A passage 92 in the end wall 12 connects to an oil ring groove 94 in thebearing 28 and in turn to a through passage 96 in the drive shaft 26 viaa radial passage 98 in the shaft wall. Like radial passages 100 and 102connect to oil ring grooves in the eccentric bearing 38 and other endwall bearing 30.

The fixed follower member 42 includes a lubricating passage 104 whichcommunicates with a passageway 106 through the oscillating cylindricalmember 36 and with the oil ring groove in the eccentric bearing 38.This, in turn, connects with passage ways in the pivot pin fittedmembers 42 and 54 via a passageway 108 in the connecting member 56,which serves as the valve closure member, to provide lubrication to thepivot pins and the journal surfaces that the valve closure member ridesupon.

OPERATIONAL DESCRIPTION From the foregoing structural description itwill be seen that as the eccentric 32 is driven by the drive shaft 26the rotary cylindrical member 36 is caused to move in the chamber space16 relatively around and in wiping relation to the inner chamber walls.

Referring to FIG. 2, as the eccentric is driven counter-clockwise thecylindrical member, serving as a rotary piston, is carried across thetop of the chamber area space with a slight relative clockwise movementdue to the constraint of the fixed follower 42. The latter, however, isallowed to turn on its own pivot axis and to permit the rotary piston topass across the inlet opening 18, to close it, and to start moving theair within the chamber space therebelow around to the outlet side of thehousing.

As the rotary piston member moves down the one side wall, on the inletside, it causes the closure member 56 to swing down, opening the outletport 32 and to thereby allow the rotary member to push the air in thechamber space out ahead of it as it travels down, across and up theopposite sidewall.

At the same time, as the rotary piston member travels past the inletopening 18, and continues its travel, it draws in fresh air behind it.

At no time is there any open access between the inlet and outlet ports.As the rotary piston member approaches the top, on the air compressionstroke, and before it passes the opening in the chamber space walls thatconnects to the closure valve space, the closure valve is closed. Hence,during its travel across the top, as from the position shown in FIG. 2,until it closes the inlet port, bypassing thereover, the outlet port isclosed by the closure member and no pressure built up by the rotary pumpwill be lost.

I claim:

1. Air compressor means, comprising; a housing member having a chamberspace for a rotary piston provided therein and including a fresh airinlet port and a compressed air outlet port provided through the sidewalls of said housing member in relatively close spaced relation to eachother, a drive shaft extended axially through said chamber space andjournalled within opposite end walls of said housing member, a rotarypis ton member provided in said chamber space and including aneccentrically driven member keyed to said shaft and having a relativelyfree floating cylindrical sleeve member journalled thereon andrelatively fitted for rotary piston movement within said chamber space,and valve means mounted in said housing member between said inlet andoutlet ports and connected to said sleeve member for actuation thereby,said valve means providing separation between said inlet and outletports in the course of rotary piston movement of said sleeve memberwithin said chamber space, said chamber space being cylindrical in formand having a separate valve space provided in open communication aparttherefrom and relatively between said inlet and outlet ports, said valvemeans including a valve member provided essentially wholly within saidvalve space and having relative sealing engagement with the side wallsthereof in the course of actuated movement, means replacably affixed toan end wall of said valve space and therewithin for providing a journalbearing and relative end wall sealing surface for one end of said valvemember as engaged thereto, like means replacably affixed to said sleevemember and to extend into said valve space for providing a journalbearing and relative end wall sealing surface for the other end of saidvalve member as engaged thereto, and a pair of connecting links providedbetween said journal bearing and relative end wall sealing surface meansfor retaining said valve member replacable therebetween, and said valvemember sealing the space between said journal bearings and including aresilient sealing lip extending therebeyond for engagement with theopposite end wall of said valve space in the opening and closing of saidoutlet port to said chamber.

* l l I=

1. Air compressor means, comprising; a housing member having a chamberspace for a rotary piston provided therein and including a fresh airinlet port and a compressed air outlet port provided through the sidewalls of said housing member in relatively close spaced relation to eachother, a drive shaft extended axially through said chamber space andjournalled within opposite end walls of said housing member, a rotarypiston member provided in said chamber space and including aneccentrically driven member keyed to said shaft and having a relativelyfree floating cylindrical sleeve member journalled thereon andrelatively fitted for rotary piston movement within said chamber space,and valve means mounted in said housing member between said inlet andoutlet ports and connected to said sleeve member for actuation thereby,said valve means providing separation between said inlet and outletports in the course of rotary piston movement of said sleeve memberwithin said chamber space, said chamber space being cylindrical in formand having a separate valve space provided in open communication aparttherefrom and relatively between said inlet and outlet ports, said valvemeans including a valve member provided essentially wholly within saidvalve space and having relative sEaling engagement with the side wallsthereof in the course of actuated movement, means replacably affixed toan end wall of said valve space and therewithin for providing a journalbearing and relative end wall sealing surface for one end of said valvemember as engaged thereto, like means replacably affixed to said sleevemember and to extend into said valve space for providing a journalbearing and relative end wall sealing surface for the other end of saidvalve member as engaged thereto, and a pair of connecting links providedbetween said journal bearing and relative end wall sealing surface meansfor retaining said valve member replacable therebetween, and said valvemember sealing the space between said journal bearings and including aresilient sealing lip extending therebeyond for engagement with theopposite end wall of said valve space in the opening and closing of saidoutlet port to said chamber.